A Canadian Barista Landed An $8 Million CRA Bill After Her Tax Return Went Wrong

Ahead of tax time in Canada, one barista is encouraging Canadians to check and double-check their tax returns after she ended up owing a whopping $8 million to the CRA in 2018.

Alina Bukatova told her story to CBC News, explaining that she’d earned around $17,000 annually while working in a coffee shop. However, when her tax bill came back, it showed she owed millions.

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She’d used a tax preparation chain to help with her returns that year and was confident that the process had been straightforward. 

However, her notice of assessment later showed an income of more than $17 million dollars — explaining the $8 million in unpaid taxes!

Although the error was later corrected (although not before her bank accounts were seized!), it’s worth remembering to double-check all figures on your tax documents — particularly ahead of this year’s “incredibly complicated” tax season.